Highlight Reels vs. Behind the Scenes

The other day I was listening to the radio while driving into town.  The DJ on our local Christian radio station made a comment that really stuck with me.  He said, "Don't compare someone else's highlight reel with your behind the scenes footage."

I have to confess with all the wonderful blogs and decorating ideas available on the internet, I sometimes get caught up in the appearance of someone's kitchen or their family room or a great patio area.  It's hard not to look up from the computer screen and be content with what I see before me...less than shiny windows, dust on the ceiling fan, shoes carelessly left in the floor of the living room, personal belongings laying on the couch, forgotten projects once begun with motivation now sitting lackluster half finished.

I know the houses I see online are not always photo perfect.  But, without seeing their behind the scenes footage and ALWAYS seeing mine, it's easy to forget and unfairly compare those photos to my own home.

I love my house.  It's not perfect.  The floorplan is terrible but it works for us...for now.

So, having said all of that, I wanted to post some normal pictures of a few rooms in my house.  A somewhat typical day...not ready for any magazine shoot but certainly not having experienced a tornado of teenagers either.  Just normal.  (Please excuse the terrible lighting.  I'm still using my Iphone camera because it's so quick and easy to post from.  Someday soon, I hope to have my daughter take some great pics with her Canon Rebel.)

The living room (our main hangout).  Backpack ready for this weekend's camping trip.  One of our three lazy (and smelly) dogs taking his afternoon nap.  Wii board in the floor along with a host of Wii remotes and CDs on the mantel.  Not too bad but, of course, you can't see the dust and dog hair that I can : )

The dining room/office/craft room.  This room had a pretty thorough purging a few weeks ago.  There are still projects sitting around, Etsy items for my store, dishes from my Spring decorating waiting to find an off-season home.  I'm hoping to turn this room into a library for my younger two girls that are still homeschooling.  We've always done most of our school at the kitchen table.

The kitchen...unusually free of dishes in the sink.  (Two of my three daughters have been away this week.  I can't believe how few dishes we've used with two less people in the house.)  Lots of things sitting out on the counters.  I'd prefer they were put away but, truth be told, it's just more convenient when they are out.  

Lastly, the kitchen table.  The catch-all, do-all center of our home.  Just a few hours earlier, it was covered with my youngest's items for her trip, a bunch of paint and brushes from the painting I was doing.  Now there's just my purse, Sonic cup, and a 1X12 plank that I hope to someday  use to replace the top of this table.  Another project awaiting its turn.

So, there you have it.  Just an ordinary day, no special props or staging.  It's neither a page from a magazine nor is it pristine or spotless.  

Now, I'm in no way saying that there is anything wrong with a picture perfect house.  I think it's what we all strive for.  I just wanted to remind us all that we have homes that we live in day in and day out...normal looking, lived in homes.  Don't defeat yourself like I have done by comparing your home to those in the glossy pages of a magazine.  

Thanks for taking time from your busy life to visit me.  God bless!